Each summer, St. Meinrad hosts several “One Bread, One Cup” gatherings. At these five-day liturgical leadership conferences, youth and adults discover the Catholic Church’s treasures of Word, Sacrament and Mission and enjoy opportunities for fellowship and fun (team building, outdoor recreation, variety show and dance). Participants come to appreciate the Benedictine balance of prayer, work and recreation.

This year, the One Bread, One Cup program found its way to Conception Abbey for the first time. The program ran during the week of July 17-21. It was great to welcome so many young people for an experience of faith and the Benedictine tradition.

Last Tuesday I gave a 60-minute presentation to the high school students on lectio divina. I was also able to celebrate Mass and preach for the group on Tuesday afternoon. My interactions with the college interns and the students were very positive. About twenty-five of the participants were from the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I had met many of the kids from Wyoming on previous retreats and vocations events that I had traveled to. It was good to welcome them to my home.

Below: I was able to visit with Steve Angrisano and enjoy his music. He is a very kind man of faith. He is a very effective and versatile ministry leaders in the Church.

Above: Interns compete against the participants in a game of Ultimate Frisbee.Below, pictured on the right: Alumnus Cameron Smith (C 2006) was one of the youth ministers who attended the week, bringing the large contingency from Cheyenne.

This morning we received our fourth postulant for the summer- praise God! Nicholas hails from Jacksonville, Florida and has come such a long distance to seek God at Conception Abbey. The community is excited to welcome him as he begins his journey in monastic life. Please keep Nicholas, and our other men in formation, in your prayers.

Friday after Day Prayer, Archbishop Jerome blessed Abbot Benedict’s pastoral staff (crosier) and his pectoral cross which was specially crafted for him as a gift on behalf of his classmates who were present for the ceremony. The crosier was made by former-monk and friend Cassian Heath who crafted the staff primarily from walnut that was taken from the Abbey property. Abbot Benedict offered his words of thanks to his friends and classmates as he continues to serve as the shepherd of this monastic community.

This morning we welcomed three men into the monastery as postulants. They are Arturo Hernandez, Justin King, and Walter Pugh. It is a joyful occasion to receive these men as they begin their monastic journey.

The small ceremony begins with the men knocking on the front door of the monastery desiring entrance. In Chapter 58 of the Rule of St. Benedict, he writes: “Do not grant newcomers to the monastic life an easy entry, but, as the Apostle says, “Test the spirits to see if they are from God,” (1 John 4:1). Therefore, if someone comes and keeps knocking at the door, and if at the end of four or five days he has shown himself patient in bearing his harsh treatment and difficulty of entry, and has persisted in his request, then he should be allowed to enter and stay in the guest quarters for a few days. After that, he should live in the novitiate, where the novices study, eat and sleep.”

We didn’t make them wait four or five days, but their discernment leading up to this point certainly lasted much longer. After knocking once, however, there was no answer at the door. But, after persisting by knocking a second time, Abbot Benedict open the door and welcomed the men inside.

During his exhortation, Abbot Benedict encouraged the men to perseverance. He also stated that St. Benedict said every good work should begin with prayer. Abbot Benedict then led the men to pray in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Basilica.

St. Benedict wrote, “A senior chosen for his skill in winning souls should be appointed to look after them with careful attention.” Fr. Xavier, the Novice-Junior Master, will oversee the formation of the junior monks, novices, and postulants. St. Benedict continued, “The concern must be whether the novice truly seeks God and whether he shows eagerness for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials. The novice should be clearly told all the hardships and difficulties that will lead him to God.”

Please pray for these men as they begin following Christ in monastic life.

Many young people feel the call to religious life, but many things hold them back. Some do not know the best way to discern their vocation. Abbot Benedict offers this practical advice for those who might find themselves in this situation. Obviously, prayer is the first and primary factor when it comes to discernment, but Abbot Benedict rightly adds that it is important to “test” one’s vocation.

Please share this video with those you may know who are discerning religious life.

May 10, 1891 was the Dedication of the Abbey Basilica. Every year we celebrate its anniversary, and now we are up to 126 years. For Conception Abbey it is observed as a Solemnity. We are grateful for being able to worship in such a beautiful church.

Yesterday evening we celebrated First Vespers of the Solemnity and the seminarians were present.

Today we celebrated Mass of the Anniversary of the Dedication and Abbot Benedict presided.
Below: On this special day, we light all of the candles that on are on the pillars of the Basilica.

There were plenty of activities going on this past week, and the next week it looks like it will continue. May 13-14 is graduation weekend for Conception Seminary College.

On Saturday, April 29, we had some bad weather, mainly strong winds and rain. A large branch from the tree in the cemetery split from the base.

The Infirmary addition is making very quick progress as you can see below.

The weather this past weekend was absolutely beautiful. This was great especially for two reasons: On Saturday morning we had our annual Abbey Trails 5K Run and 2-mile walk. We had 163 participants outside on a perfect morning. I ran the 5K and placed 3rd overall and 1st in my age group. I enjoyed visiting with our many friends and neighbors who joined us for the event (especially Tam Meyer who is making fun of me in the background).Above: Seminarian Seth Arnold took 1st place for the second year in a row. Laura Foley of Columbia, Missouri took 1st for the females.

I was also very happy to host more than 30 retreatants for the weekend. They were friends I made during my time in the Spiritual Mentorship Program, a two-year program, helping train men and women to journey with others in their spiritual life. The program concluded in January 2017 and we wanted to have a follow-up retreat. Many of the participants had never been to Conception Abbey before, so I was happy to welcome them. Included in the group is Sr. Susan Pieper, AVI (Apostles of the Interior Life) and Fr. Steve Sotiroff, a priest of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois. They loved praying with the monks and enjoyed the beautiful weather and Abbey grounds. The weekend retreat was filled with so many blessings and graces.

It has been a busy month and posting regularly has been a challenge. During the month of March we welcomed four monastery vocation guests. For each man, it was at least his second visit, which is always a good sign to welcome men back to our monastery.

Fr. Victor returned from Washington, D.C. and joined us for some board games one evening. Our game of choice for the week has been Ticket to Ride.

March 17-19 I helped out with a retreat in Estes Park, Colorado at the YMCA of the Rockies. There were 130 junior high and high school students on this Discipleship retreat. I heard confessions all weekend, gave a few talks, and celebrated Mass for the group. It was a powerful experience in a beautiful place.

Our Infirmary building is undergoing some construction. We are building an addition which will increase the amount of rooms for the residents and enlarge the chapel. We broke ground within the past week and I am eager to offer photo updates of the progress.

Since Abbot Benedict’s election in late-November, I have wanted to film a few videos on him. A couple of years ago I started a fun series of videos called: “Ask a Monk”. This video features Abbot Benedict. Listen to his responses to the questions and get to know some of his preferences.

On Monday evening, January 2nd, Br. Etienne and I traveled with 45 students from Northwest Missouri State University to attend SEEK 2017, the Catholic college student conference put on by FOCUS.

Monday evening we departed Maryville, Missouri at 9:30 PM en route to San Antonio, Texas. I’m not one for long bus rides, but the 15-16 hours of total travel time was not as bad as I had expected. Nevertheless, we arrived in sunny San Antonio on Tuesday afternoon feeling like we had spent all night on a bus (oh wait, we actually did!). The tiredness and memories of attempting to sleep upright quickly faded and were replaced with excitement and warmer weather. While the warmer 70 degree weather disappeared and was replaced with 30 degree temperatures, the excitement remained.

The Downtown Riverwalk area is absolutely beautiful, with its lights, restaurants, and the numerous hotels were the 12,500 students who attended the conference were staying. Haven’t been to the Riverwalk? Just enjoy these pictures.

There were spectacular speakers at the conference: Matt Hart, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Lou Holtz, Matt Fradd, Dr. Edward Sri, Sr. Bethany Madonna, Sarah Swafford, and many more. Each morning began with the celebration of the Eucharist. It was powerful concelebrating Mass with more than 200 priests in the long procession. One of the speakers that I enjoyed in particular was Coach Lou Holtz (pictured below).

Thankfully the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is capable of hosting such a large crowd of people. One of the best things was walking around the convention center and running into countless priests and students that I have crossed paths with over the years.

We ran into many priest alumni of Conception Seminary College, including Fr. Sam Matthiesen and Fr. Adam Droll of San Angelo, Texas.

We were also able to do some sightseeing during walks between the convention center and the hotels. I was able to catch up with a few monastic vocation candidates as well during the trip.

Perhaps the most powerful experience was Thursday evening during the Adoration and Reconciliation service. There were more than 300 priest hearing confessions for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Apparently the line for Reconciliation became so long that it was a fire hazard. Many of the students on our bus shared their conversion experiences and encounters with Jesus Christ during the ride home. It was a graced time for everyone.